


to forget what is remembered

by Felilla



Series: She-Ra: Magic of the Universe [2]
Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: (kinda), Action/Adventure, Angst, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Esteem Issues, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, The First Ones (She-Ra), Visions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24213913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felilla/pseuds/Felilla
Summary: (SPOILERS)On the way to restore magic to another planet, the Best Friend Squad makes a quick stop at a desolated planet with a familiar name: Eternia.It was just meant to be a quick in and out exploration, but when they're confronted by people still on this planet, they make some surprising discoveries.And Adora might need to face some truths about herself and the people she comes from.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra) & Original Character(s), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), He-Man | Adam & Adora (She-Ra)
Series: She-Ra: Magic of the Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747318
Comments: 65
Kudos: 652





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> A little story from the She-Ra: Magic of the Universe series. This will be a multi-fic.
> 
> The He-Man in this is very much freeform. It'll make more sense soon.

It paid to have a group of space vagabonds as friends. The Star Siblings, it seemed, were more than willing to help out with restoring magic to the universe. As long as She-Ra started with their planet, of course. Starla, as it turned out, had a knack for it and eventually, her siblings agreed to letting her become a sorcerer at Mystacor.

Tallstar and Jewelstar continued travelling the galaxy, reporting to Adora and the others. Their most recent transmission was the reason that Darla was currently navigating through an asteroid belt. Entrapta and Hordak had done a lot with the ship, citing it as better than new. No one alive knew what it was like new, of course, so the Best Friend Squad kind of just took their word for it. At least she was capable of interplanetary communication now. It made Etheria seem a little less far away.

Only a little though.

Adora had never comprehended how wide the universe truly was. Sitting on the console in the control room and staring out through the visor, she thought that she still might not comprehend it. There were more stars than blades of grass on Etheria according to Hordak. Adora wondered how many of those stars were planets or moons, populated by people and creatures like the one’s back home.

How many of those planets had never known a life without Horde Prime? He had existed in the time of Mara, of the First Ones. Were they confused? Scared? Wiped of all life? They’d encountered all kinds of circumstances over the past two years.

Adora felt more tired now than she ever had.

But she was happy too. Because the Horde was no longer a threat. And, for the most part, the planets welcomed them with open arms. Magic, as it turned out, was the best bargaining chip in the universe.

Tallstar and Jewelstar told them that the planet they were headed towards, Popus, was still populated. They occasionally stopped at the unpopulated planets as well, if only for a bit of rest, with hopes that it might be like Krytis. That there might be a Melog type among the ruins.

There was one desolated planet on the way to Popus, according to their map. And it was one that Adora absolutely had to go to.

“Eternia,” she whispered, the hand resting on her knee clenching into a fist.

“Hey, Adora.”

Adora turned her head, the tenseness in her body relaxing a bit when she saw Catra’s figure walking towards her. The cockpit was dimmed. By all accounts, Adora should’ve been in bed. She  _ had  _ been in bed until she awoke with a start, a memory of a nightmare lingering in the edges of her mind.

Catra easily crawled up onto the console with Adora. She settled between her legs, face pressed into Adora’s chest and arms wrapped around her torso. Adora brought a hand up to stroke Catra’s ear, which immediately set her purring.

It had become something of a routine for them. Whether it was back on Etheria or in the places they were staying, Catra always came to find Adora and Adora always came to find Catra. They were like twin moons, consistently pulled into each other’s orbits. It had always been that way.

Adora bent her head, burying her face into Catra’s hair. She breathed in her earthy smell. How she continued to always smell like Etheria baffled Adora.

“You okay?” Catra asked as she pulled away to look up at Adora. 

Her eyes glowed in the dimness and Adora found it all but impossible to resist pulling her into a kiss. A soft, chaste one. Maybe a little sleepy. She had no idea how long she’d been in here. Catra smiled up at her, soft and fond and trusting. Adora could hardly believe that they had been enemies two years ago. It seemed like a lifetime.

“Just had a nightmare,” she said, pressing a kiss to Catra’s forehead.

Catra resettled, turning her head so she could keep talking. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Can’t,” Adora responded. She smoothed a hand down Catra’s back when she stiffened. “I don’t remember it.”

Catra relaxed. So maybe not a lifetime ago. They still had their rough patches. Not even time could heal all wounds.

But they were good. Great honestly.

Adora had never thought it possible. But here she was, Catra half-awake in her arms, the Horde defeated, Etheria safe. One day, maybe, everything would be perfect.

For now, Adora was content to watch the stars as Catra tried, in vain, to stay alert. For now, this was as close to perfect as she could get. And she was happy.

Mostly.

* * *

“How much longer?” Adora questioned as she peered over the side of the chair.

Bow shot a glance over his shoulder. He rolled his eyes before turning back to the holograms in front of him. “We’re two hours out. Like I told you… Ten minutes ago.”

Adora tilted her head. “So we haven’t moved?”

“No, I-” Bow sighed. “Adora, I’m getting us there as fast I can. Why don’t you go make sure the spacesuits are good to use? We don’t know what the atmosphere’s going to be like on Eternia.”

The name still sent an unpleasant tingle down Adora’s spine. She pouted, but nodded. Maybe she could rope Glimmer or Catra into helping her. Although, last she checked, Glimmer was checking documents sent from Brightmoon and Catra was sparring. Which was pretty typical for how they spent their afternoons on the ship.

It was almost like they were on their own little planet when they were on Darla.

Well, it felt that way to Adora, anyways. She knew, in theory, that Glimmer still did some political maneuvering from space. Micah had taken over for her at Brightmoon. He and Glimmer decided that she needed to live a bit more, to grow and have fun like a normal young adult, before she returned as Queen.

Shooting off into deep space to return magic to the universe was probably  _ not _ what he had in mind. And from Adora understood, Micah still needed help to manage sometimes. Etheria was dealing with the aftermath of a two decade war, after all. So Glimmer did what she could to help.

And sometimes, Bow and Catra helped too. Over the years, Catra had all but become an unofficial advisor to Glimmer.

No one asked for Adora’s political opinions. It hurt, a little. But Adora knew that her strength had never lied with politics. She was the Princess of Power. Not the princess of an actual kingdom or land. She was good with magic. Good with tactical situations. Good with… Not much else.

Adora sighed then took a deep breath. Today, she was going to be good at checking spacesuits.

A head bumped into her side and she turned to Melog. It looked up at her with a curious expression. Adora smiled, smoothing a hand over its head. “I guess you’ll be my buddy today.”

It mewled and though Adora couldn’t speak with it, she assumed it was agreeing with her. They set off down the hall towards the loading dock.

The ship was much larger than Adora had originally thought when she found it in the Wastes. She figured that was par for the course with First One’s tech. Even so, it wasn’t big.

There were four sleeping quarters, though the team typically only used up two, and the cockpit, which was the largest part of the ship by far. The storage room and the loading dock were the same size, located on opposite ends of the ship. A bathroom and a kitchen were basically all that was left.

Adora wondered how long they’d been on the ship this time. Usually, she kept track by using her sleep cycle. But sleep had come so restlessly for her since they spotted Eternia on the map. She only knew it was daytime when everyone else was up and about. She would have to ask Catra later; she always kept track of things like that.

She raised her hand to the door and it slid open. Humming under her breath, she set about checking their colorful array of suits. She was halfway through checking Glimmer’s for any holes when a pinprick of sharp pain built up behind her eyes.

Shaking her head, Adora blinked and pinched the bridge of her nose. The pain subsided a bit, but she could still feel it. She sighed, blaming it on lack of sleep.

“What are you humming?”

Adora turned, blinking rapidly when Glimmer drifted out of focus. Glimmer smiled and went to sit next to Adora, running her hand over Melog’s head. 

Adora rubbed her arm. “Oh, you know-” she paused. Humming? 

Adora didn’t  _ hum _ . Unlike most of her friends, she didn’t have a musical bone in her body. Even Catra had some kind of proclivity towards music. She sometimes hummed when she was reading something boring. Adora, however, had never felt a connection to it. Only a few songs ever gave her any kind of semblance of emotion. She certainly hadn’t ever been able to remember any songs.

What had she been humming? She tried to remember the tune.

The pinprick behind her eyes flared. Adora gasped, pressing a hand to forehead. The shot through her skull like lightning and she barely managed to bite back a scream.

“Adora?” Glimmer’s voice sounded faint and when she settled a hand on Adora’s shoulder, it felt closer to a phantom touch.

The pain ripped through again. Adora could feel Glimmer’s hand on her shoulder, could barely understand the garbled speech of her voice, but it all felt a million miles away.

A smooth, soft feminine voice overtook Glimmer’s. It was singing, accompanied by the crackle of static like a jammed communicator. It sounded like it was right above her. Adora clapped her hands over her ears as it grew louder and louder. The song felt like a physical weight on her chest. Before she realized what was happening, she was sobbing.

Adora’s vision whited out as she slumped forward. The usual biting chill of the metal felt distant.

Stars danced in her eyes, edges of gold creeping into her gaze. She felt safe, somehow. Safe and warm. A shadow appeared above her, the singing growing even louder. Adora felt a hand on her cheek and the singing stopped. A strange whirring sound took its place. Adora tried to ask what the shadow was saying, but all that came out was a piercing scream.

“Adora! Adora!”

Adora came back to consciousness slowly. She could feel Catra’s familiar hands moving up and down her arm. It took a moment for her to register that the shouting belonged to her partner too. She blinked, turned her head, winced.

“Adora?”

That was Glimmer. 

Catra’s tight grip on her body loosened. A moment later, her face took up the entirety of Adora’s line of sight. There were tears at the corners of her eyes. Adora tried to raise her hand, but her entire body felt heavy. Heavier than it had when she collapsed at the start of Horde Prime’s attack. Heavier than when poison had coursed through her veins. She had only felt this heavy when She-Ra was gone.

Adora panicked for the briefest second but when she reached out, She-Ra was there. A soft gentle light-filled presence within Adora. She relaxed.

“Adora,” Catra breathed out, a hand framing Adora’s face. She smiled softly, relief evident in her features. A moment later, a glare replaced it. “Why didn’t you tell me you were this tired?”

“I’m not,” Adora responded. Honestly, she hadn’t thought she was.

Catra startled back from her, but didn’t go far. Adora raised an eyebrow. When she turned her head, she saw Glimmer and Bow watching her with the same wide eyed expression.

“What  _ language _ are you talking in?” Catra exclaimed, halfway to a shriek.

What? She’d been talking in Etherian. The only language she knew  _ how _ to speak (thank the stars for Entrapta’s translator).

“What are you talking about?” Adora asked.

Everyone visibly relaxed. Adora was beyond confused. A wet nose hit her neck and she let out a small giggle, trying to shy away from Melog. She winced at the pain it sent shooting down her head. Catra was there in a second. “What’s wrong?”

“My head hurts,” Adora said, wishing it didn’t take so much energy to roll her eyes. “Can you help me sit up?”

“No! You’re laying there until you’re rested up.”

Glimmer sighed. “I don’t think that leaving her on the cold hard floor is going to do her any favors, Catra.”

Catra grumbled something under her breath, but slowly helped Adora sit up. They leaned her up against the wall. Melog immediately settled onto her lap. Adora rubbed at her temples before turning to Bow. “How much longer until we reached Eternia?”

Bow shifted, looking to Glimmer, who gave a small nod. Adora glanced at Catra and hoped that she would look just as confused, but Catra was staring down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Everything okay?” Adora asked.

“Yeah,” Bow said. “We arrived at Eternia about an hour ago. I was just about to call you guys up to the cockpit when Glimmer came in and-”

“And said that you were dead,” Catra deadpanned.

Adora looked over at Glimmer in disbelief. “Why would you say that?”

Glimmer’s hands clenched into fists and her eyes looked shinier than usual. Adora finally registered the red rings under her eyes and the tear tracks on her face. She looked over at Bow and found the same thing.

“You weren’t breathing, Adora,” Bow said finally, his words slamming into Adora’s chest like cement.

“Wasn’t-” Adora looked over at Catra. Catra continued to look away, even as she curled closer into Adora’s side.

“You  _ were  _ breathing,” Catra said and Adora found enough strength to reach up and stroke a hand over her hair. “Melog said you were. It was really, really shallow though.”

Adora smirked at her. “Were you worried about me?” she teased, aiming for a bit of levity.

“What? No!” Catra crossed her arms even as she moved even closer to Adora. “You wish.”

“It’s okay, babe,” Adora pressed a kiss to her head before turning back to Glimmer and Bow. The two of them had become used to Adora and Catra’s affection over the years and didn’t even bat an eye. “I’m fine, guys. I just- I think it was a vision?”

“A vision!” Glimmer exclaimed, her concern all but washed away. “You haven’t had one of those in awhile. About what?”

“I don’t know,” Adora answered.

“She-Ra?”

“Maybe?” she shrugged, recalling the images. Something told her that for once, it didn’t have anything to do with She-Ra. She sighed, leaning her head down on Catra’s shoulder. “I think, maybe, I should rest up a bit before we go exploring.”

“Agreed!”

“Good idea!”

“Sounds good.”

Adora smiled at her friends. She didn’t mean to fall asleep right there.

* * *

Adora awoke with a start, her heart racing in her chest. Her and Catra’s shared room was dark and quiet, save for the soft breathing of Catra beside her. She didn’t feel tired anymore. If anything, she felt energized enough to take on the world.

Which, in this case, was an empty desolate planet.

So maybe… Take on a Horde army? Although those didn’t exist anymore except for small rogue factions. Catra’s grip around Adora’s waist shifted as she exhaled, the air fanning over Adora’s neck.

Slowly, Adora extracted herself from Catra’s grip. She was basically an expert in it by now. It only took her a few seconds to get dressed and out the door thanks to her childhood as a soldier. She managed to do it quietly too.

The halls were just as dark as the room which likely meant that Glimmer and Bow were asleep too. Adora briefly wondered where Melog was as she made her way to the kitchen to get some water.

“Aviva.”

Adora whirled around at the unfamiliar whisper, her sword appearing in her hand. The hall stretched on empty and devoid of any movement. She let the sword dissipate and took a deep breath to slow her heart. It was probably just her imagination. Melog wasn’t able to make auditory illusions and Entrapta’s security system was probably even better than Prime’s had been.

She shook her head, running a hand along her ponytail. It was probably just a remnant from the nightmares she couldn’t remember.

“Aviva.”

She turned again, sword held above her head to serve as a light. The voice sounded like it had come from right behind her.

Nothing. Adora let the sword go, rubbing at the gooseflesh gathered on her arms. She changed course, heading for the cockpit.

The door slid open and Adora couldn’t contain the strangled gasp that tore out of her throat. She had seen ruins before. They had stumbled upon so many planets completely destroyed by Prime. Planets where even Etheria’s magic wouldn’t latch on. But this. This felt different.

Bow had landed them in the middle of a ruined city. The buildings here soared into the sky, chipped crystal that still seemed pearlescent in the early morning dawn. They looked, strikingly, like the First Ones ruins. Adora stepped closer to the visor. Some of the buildings were even taller than she’d originally thought.

Just ahead of them was a ruin with a ship eerily similar to Darla crashed into it. One of Prime’s spires rose up in the distance, darkened and crumbling to pieces. 

The remnants of Prime’s influence lingered everywhere in the universe. Over the years, they had only stumbled upon two planets without former Horde occupation and even they had known of Horde Prime. They were as prepared for a war against him as a planet could be. A war that never came, thankfully.

Adora stared, leaning against the console. This was where the First Ones were from. Where Adora’s ancestors were from.

“Aviva.”

Adora turned, but there was no one else in the room with her. The door was still closed. Adora shook her head. “It’s just my imagination,” she whispered to herself. Even to her, it sounded like a lie.

* * *

“The atmosphere should be safe to breathe in,” Bow said as he slung his bow over his shoulders. “But I packed some respirators just in case.”

“Well, that’ll be helpful,” Catra mumbled, her arms crossed over her chest.

Adora elbowed her, earning a surprised squeak and a glare that disappeared when Adora slipped her hand into Catra’s. Bow stared down at his tracker pad as the group followed after him. The ground beneath them was barren, just like all of the planets they’d been to. Adora could shift into She-Ra and change that fact but unlike the other planet’s they’d been to, Adora had no intention in bringing magic to Eternia.

Glimmer leaned into Adora’s side, rubbing at her eyes. “Do we have to be up so early?” she groaned.

“We’d all be sleeping until noon if you had your way, Sparkles,” Catra shot back, earning a half-hearted glare from Glimmer.

The two of them bickered back and forth as they made their way deeper into the ruins. Adora chose to look at the scenery. The First Ones scrawl was familiar to her, though it was strange to see such ornate buildings labeled as tailors and doctor’s offices. And “ornate” every building was; made from the same shimmering mineral that the First Ones ruins on Etheria were, though they were dulled and colorless.

Adora managed to jerk to a stop, pulling the other girls back with her before they all rammed into Bow. Bow, who had stopped abruptly in the middle of the street. He stared down at his tracker pad, head cocked to the side.

“Bow?” Glimmer touched his arm, startling him out of whatever thoughts he’d been in.

“What’s up?” Adora stepped up next to him, looking down at the pad. She couldn’t make any sense of what she was looking at. Tech stuff still flew completely over her head no matter how much Entrapta and Bow had tried to teach her some basics.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Bow muttered. “This planet is supposed to be uninhabitable.”

Adora tensed, sharing a look with Glimmer over the tracker pad. “What do you mean ‘supposed to be’?” she asked as a pit formed in her stomach.

“Uh, guys?”

Adora whipped around at the sound of Catra’s startled tone. Catra backed up until she was next to Adora, Melog on her heels. Bow and Glimmer turned as well.

“Well, that’s not good,” Bow said.

A dozen or so masked faces stared down at them, masks made from the same crystal as the buildings. They held a variety of weapons, though swords and whips seemed to be the favored choices and they dressed in robes similar to what the sorcerers on Etheria wore though theirs were all white and plain. They crouched atop the buildings, staring down at the Best Friend Squad.

One of the figures stood, pointing down at them with a sword that glinted in the early morning light. “Kill them,” a distorted voice said.

“What did he say?” Catra hissed, her hand flexing as her claws extended. Melog bristled behind her.

“It didn’t sound nice,” Glimmer whispered and moved her hands for a subtle spell. She couldn’t use her moonstone magic this far from Etheria, but as long as Adora was there to recharge her, she could do some sorcery.

“It wasn’t,” Adora responded, earning surprised looks from her friends. She took a step forward and threw up her hand, releasing the familiar spark of magic. “For the honor of Grayskull!”


	2. two

She-Ra was different now, different than she had been in the war. Whenever Adora had changed into She-Ra before, it had been in a moment of need. She-Ra had existed as a weapon; it only mattered who the weapon had been pointed at.

Now, she felt different. Adora felt different when wielding her. Less like a sword and more like a ray of sunshine. Warm and kind and gentle. Shadow Weaver had called She-Ra a being of pure magic and over the years, Adora had come to understand what that truly meant.

She was a weapon again. Perhaps. It felt less like sunlight and more like she was holding her hand over a candle flame. Not painful, but certainly different.

Adora as She-Ra stepped forward, her sword cutting through the air and leaving a line of shimmering magic. It faded away, dispersing sparkly light. She tilted her head up towards the people. Something sparked inside her.

Most of the people shrunk down or backed up, their weapons faltering in the hands. The sole exception seemed to be the one pointing a sword down at them. They actually leaned forward a bit, their balance impeccable for being on the edge of a pointed rooftop.

“I am She-Ra,” Adora said, projecting her voice. “And we come to this planet in peace.”

A ripple of sound passed through the group. It was too far away for Adora to discern, but she kept her shoulders squared. The standing figure stepped closer to the edge of the building. They tilted their head as they cut their own sword through the air.

“Do not lie to us,” they said, their voice still altered and disconnected. It was a little disconcerting to be honest. “Why do you pretend to be an Eternian warrior? It matters not if you use a hologram, we know you are not one of us.”

Adora’s stomach clenched. She stared at the figure, a hard set to her eyebrows. Her eyes slowly drifted between the figures. She couldn’t see their faces but they seemed more confused than curious for their safety.

“I am She-Ra,” Adora repeated, her teeth gritted.

She watched as the figure pushed off the edge of the building. They flipped midair before landing on the ground in front of them lightly. They were still twenty or so feet away, but Adora’s body automatically shifted from open to closed. Catra hissed behind her. The figure rolled their shoulders.

“If you insist on lying, then I might have to challenge you to a duel.”

“What are they saying?” Glimmer whispered sharply, her voice surprisingly close. Out of the corner of her eye, Adora caught the outline of a sorcerer’s shield lining her arm. “Can you understand them?”

Adora barely glanced at her. “You can’t?”

“Adora!”

Adora turned just as the figure closed the distance between them. She slashed out with her sword, leaving a line of magical energy. With ease, she pushed it out. The figure flew back, barely managing to twist and land in a crouch. They raised their gaze, their mask cracked. When they spoke their voice was less distorted, but laced with more static. “Your technology is impressive.”

Adora moved another step closer. “Leave us in peace,” she said. “And we will leave you in peace.”

She turned sharply and cut an energy beam out of the air. It landed on either side of the Best Friend Squad, crashing into the buildings. The ground rattled beneath them with the impact. Without missing a beat, she used her whip to pull down the cannon-like gun it had come from. The person managing it scrambled back.

Adora broke it over her knee. The figure in front of them rose slowly.

“We wish you no harm,” Adora repeated. “Let us leave in peace.”

“We cannot allow you to leave,” the figure said. “No one can know that we are here.”

“We can’t leave because we know you’re here?” Adora questioned. If they were trying to remain hidden, they were doing a very poor job of it.

“Then why did they jump out and attack us?” Catra exclaimed and Melog yowled in what sounded like an agreement. “They could’ve just stayed hidden.”

“What are you saying, cat?” the figure growled, pointing their sword at Catra, who just hissed in response.

Adora’s brain clicked into place. They were speaking a different language. Adora was understanding a different language. She was understanding Eternian. The idea twisted inside of her, just like when she discovered she could read First One’s writing. She didn’t have time to dwell on it now.

She twisted her sword and slammed it into the ground. The ground rocked and roiled, shards of earth slicing out towards the buildings. The rocky barrier rose up as Adora turned. “Melog,” she said, feeling Melog’s familiar magic wash over them as it cloaked them. “Run for the ship.”

“This is so dumb,” Catra hissed, but took off in a sprint with the rest of them.

Adora could hear clambering and shouting behind them. More than anything, she wished for Glimmer’s teleportation abilities. The streets twisted and turned and Adora realized all too quickly that they were most definitely lost.

The group dodged into an alleyway as Melog dropped its illusion. Adora let She-Ra fall away as well.

“Where are we, Bow?” Adora turned to Bow, who was shaking his tracker pad. The surface shifted and wavered.

“I think they did something to disrupt my signal,” Bow muttered. “That shouldn’t be possible though. Entrapta upgraded it to be unhackable by modern tech.”

“Maybe their tech isn’t modern,” Catra suggested, earning an agreeing nod from Bow. She glanced over at Adora. “What were you saying back there?”

“What were  _ they  _ saying?” Glimmer asked.

Adora looked away, leaning against the wall and keeping on the alert. If they snuck up on them once, they were likely to do it again. She let out a small exhale. “They’re Eternians,” she said. “I was speaking Eternian… I guess. I didn’t know I was.”

It seemed impossible. Eternia was supposed to be abandoned, destroyed by the Horde. Prime had said it himself. He wiped out the Eternians, beat them in a war over empires. Adora knew, in some part of her mind, that some faction of the First Ones still existed out in the universe. After all, she had been pulled through a portal to Despondos from  _ somewhere _ . She didn’t think they would be here though. Why  _ were _ they here?

Catra stepped closer, her hands curling over Adora’s. Adora turned to look at her partner. “What did they say?” Catra asked, in a soft way she usually reserved for when they were alone.

“They thought we were using a hologram. That I was pretending to She-Ra; pretending to be an Eternian warrior.”

“Whoa,” Glimmer gasped and Adora looked over at her, but Glimmer’s eyes were wide. “Does that mean there’s  _ more _ She-Ras?”

Adora turned away, looking down at her hands in Catra’s. She reached for She-Ra within her before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. Not in the same way our She-Ra exists anyways. They thought that I was using tech, not magic.”

“Magic’s probably as much a myth to them as it is to the rest of the universe,” Bow said as he gave his tracker pad another shake as if that would get the hacking out. “And if no one knows they’re here, they’re probably in hiding.”

“That’s why they were going to kill us,” Adora said. 

“If no one knows they’re here, then they probably have no communication with the outside world,” Bow muttered. “I doubt they even know that the Horde is gone now.”

“Let’s just get on the ship and leave,” Glimmer said. She still hadn’t dropped her magical shield. “Leave them alone. It’s not like we planned on restoring magic here anyways.”

Adora looked back to Catra, who hadn’t taken her eyes off of her. Catra tilted her head. “What do you want to do, Adora?”

“I don’t know,” Adora whispered, running her thumb over Catra’s hand. 

This planet was supposed to be abandoned. Adora hadn’t felt bad about leaving a desolate planet without magic, especially since it was the homeplanet of the people that stole most of the universe’s magic in the first place. But now, she knew that there were still people here. People that shouldn’t be punished for the crimes of their ancestors.

And there was the other thing.

The possibility that Adora had come from these people. That her birth family might be among these people.

“Aviva.”

Adora pulled away from Catra as she turned. The street was still empty, devoid of even a sprout of life. A dusty breeze swept through the air. How did anyone live on a planet like this? Catra kept a grip on one of her hands. “Adora?”

“Did you hear that?” Adora questioned, looking back at the group. They all shook their heads.

“Hear what?”

“Aviva,” she whispered as the breeze tangled into her air. It felt familiar somehow, like a distant dream. She-Ra thrummed within her.

Before she could process what was happening, Adora’s back slammed into the ground. She skidded out into the street. The impact knocked all of the wind out of her body. Gasping, she stared up into the cracked mask of the leader of the group that attacked them. They didn’t move.

“Get off of her!” Glimmer shouted as one of Bow’s net arrows crashed into them.

They rolled off of Adora, tangled in the ropes. Glimmer offered a hand down to Adora and she took it. Her gaze turned to the Eternian. They shouted, an unintelligible roar of absolute rage. Adora almost took a step back. Catra stepped forward, her claws extended as her shoulders rose and fell. She looked over at Adora. “You okay?”

Adora nodded. “Yeah.”

She pulled She-Ra out, scanning the area for any more Eternians, but to her surprise, they seemed to be alone. After a brief hesitation, she stalked towards the struggling Eternian. She crouched. “Where are your friends?” she asked.

The Eternian shouted again. Adora sighed, turning to her friends, “We should-”

“How do you know that name?” the Eternian spat as much venom put into his words as possible.

“What?” Adora glanced back. “What name?”

“Aviva!”

Aviva. A name. Adora took a step back. And another step. “I don’t- I don’t know.”

She felt Catra’s hand on her elbow, bringing her down before she even had a chance to fly away. When she looked down, Catra smiled up at her, a soft look she reserved solely for Adora. It shifted a bit into a familiar smirk. “We can take him with us.”

“You want to  _ kidnap  _ him?” Glimmer exclaimed as she stalked up and planted her hands on her hips.

“I’m just saying,” Catra shrugged. “Adora has questions. This guy might have answers. And besides, nine times out of ten, after you two kidnap someone, they become your friends.”

“Yeah, only took a year after your kidnapping,” Glimmer grumbled, but her smile betrayed her fondness.

Catra snapped her fingers with a small grin. “Exactly. And we’ll give him back… Eventually.”

She looked over at the Eternian with an absolutely feral look. The Eternian stopped struggling against the net for a moment. 

“What is she saying?” they asked, sounding a bit panicked behind the static. “She-Ra pretender, what is she  _ saying _ ?”

Adora glanced at Glimmer. “Think you can get us to the ship.”

Glimmer winked. “I can certainly try.”

* * *

The group crashed onto the floor of the cockpit, sending an obnoxious clatter through the space. Adora groaned, pressing a hand to her head. 

“Ugh, I hate teleporting like that!” Glimmer muttered, rubbing her wrist. Bow took it and inspected it for her.

“I hate teleporting in general,” Catra grumbled, shifting closer to Melog, who seemed to hate it just as much as her.

Adora’s gaze shifted to the Eternian, who was still shouting, writhing in their net. They stopped suddenly. “Am I dead?” they asked Adora, this time sounding completely panicked. “Who  _ are  _ you people?”

“Darla?” Adora said.

The ship sprung to life, lights clicking on around them. “Welcome back, Adora,” the ship said. 

“Can you get us in the air?”

“Yes.”

The Eternian startled as the ship started to rise. They looked around as much as the net allowed them. “This is an ancient Eternian ship,” they said. “How- How do you have it, imposter?”

“You’re going to answer our questions,” Adora said. “Don’t try to run. You won’t get out.”

The group released them from the net before transferring them into rope, binding their hands and feet. Catra picked up their sword, twirling it around with ease. “Nice sword,” she muttered and Adora sent her an admonishing glance. “What?”

Originally, Adora intended to leave their mask on. She respected their privacy, but something possessed her and she found herself ripping it off. The Eternian released a startled shout. Adora just stared.

It was a boy, probably the same age as them, if a little older. His hair was blonde, his eyes blue. And he looked strikingly like…

“Why does he look like you?” Catra asked from over Adora’s shoulder.

The boy glared at them. The Best Friend Squad stared back at him. Adora felt a little faint. She turned to Glimmer and gave her a nod.

Glimmer formed the truth spell easily, sending it towards the Eternian. He tensed as it passed over him, blinking when it disappeared. Adora let everyone put their translators in as she continued to crouch in front of him. “That was a truth spell,” she explained as she stood up. His eyes followed her, growing wider by the second. “Don’t resist. It’ll be very painful for you.”

Catra settled a hand on Adora’s shoulder and Adora inhaled deeply. “What’s your name?” she asked.

She could see the defiance in his face. See the way his brow furrowed and his lips trembled. A moment later, he shouted, loud enough to echo through the ship. “Adam!”

Something struck in Adora’s chest like kindling. It felt like fire clawing over her chest, as if she was the one resisting a truth spell. The Eternian— Adam— squared his shoulders. “I am Prince Adam of Eternia, He-Man of the First Military Branch, and I hate you, Horde scum.”

“Holy shit,” Catra breathed, sounding absolutely delighted. “We kidnapped a  _ Prince _ ?”

“No wonder you wanted to kidnap him so badly,” Glimmer said with a small laugh as Bow just sighed.

“What’s a He-Man?” Bow muttered.

Prince Adam continued to glare at them. Adora sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We aren’t a part of the Horde.”

“Everyone is a member of the Horde,” Adam snapped. “Everyone that isn’t Eternian.”

Catra snorted. “It’s a bit hard to be a member of something that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Adam’s gaze narrowed at Catra and she stared back at him. “You speak lies.”

Adora groaned, dropping her face into her hand. After a second, she shook her head and looked back at him. He was staring at her now, solely at her. “Horde Prime is gone and his Empire is gone,” she said and his eyes widened a bit. “The universe is at peace.”

“That-” Adam looked away before sharply looking back at her. “That’s  _ impossible _ . No one can defeat Horde Prime.”

“It’s not,” Glimmer replied before pointing at Adora. “You’re looking at the one that took him down.”

Adora dropped her gaze, rubbing her arm. Catra’s grip on her shoulder tightened. It wasn’t the gaze of an entire planet for once, but she still felt uncomfortable under the praise. Adam stared at Adora. “How do you know the name Aviva?” he asked.

“Hey,” Catra said. “We’re asking the questions here.”

Adam didn’t tear his gaze away. “How do you speak my language? How do you know what a She-Ra is? How-”

“Shut up!” Catra took a step forward, claws flexed, but Adora caught her hand and pulled her back. Her partner went back, still scowling at the startled Eternian.

“It’s okay, Catra,” Adora responded, wrapping an arm around Catra’s waist. She looked back to Adam. “I don’t know how I know the name Aviva. And I can speak your language because I am Eternian. I was- I was taken away when I was a baby. And to be honest, I thought that She-Ra was something different from what you think it is.”

Adam’s jaw looked as though it had come unhinged. Suddenly, he jolted forward, only to fall flat on his face. Bow exclaimed, moving to help him sit up, but the Prince just jerked back up into a sitting position.

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” Adam asked.

“I have no reason to lie to you,” Adora responded. “I just want to know things about Eternia. Things that I think only one of your people can tell me.”

Adam cleared his throat and shook his head. Adora saw that his eyes looked just a little bit glassy, like he was going to cry. A long awkward silence stretched between the five of them before he spoke again. “Only one person has left Eternia since the Horde destroyed our planet,” he said, looking away from Adora and then looking back at her. “She disappeared through a portal, the first portal to be seen in hundreds of years. Her name was Aviva. And she was my twin sister.”

Adora felt as though the floor had given way beneath her. Her knees buckled. She only remained standing because Catra caught her. Her breath came out shakily.

Adam stared at her, tears slipping freely down his cheeks now. “It’s you, isn’t it?” he said, looking as though he was trying to move closer. “Something told me to go above ground today and it- You-”

“I need-” Adora sucked in another sharp breath. She looked to Catra with wide pleading eyes.

Catra nodded, looking over at Glimmer and Bow, who stared down at Adam in shock.It seemed the feeling was no exclusive to Adora. “Sparkles,” she said. Glimmer shook her head, bobbing it once at the two of them.

Catra was quick to lead Adora out of the room. The moment the door to the cockpit slid closed behind them, Adora slumped back against the wall. She pressed a shaky hand to her chest, the other to Catra’s. Catra hovered in front of her, not quite touching, but still obviously there.

“He wasn’t lying,” Adora said, her voice trembling. “He can’t lie. He- I-”

“Breathe, Adora,” Catra said as she inhaled and exhaled exaggeratedly. “Breathe.”

They sat like that for several minutes until Adora eventually devolved into a sobbing mess. She reached for Catra, clinging to her, burying her face into her chest. Catra rocked her through the worst of it until the sobs dropped into sniffles. She didn’t let go of her partner though.

“That vision I had,” she whispered, voice rough and hoarse. “There was singing and stars. And a shadow leaning over me. And I think- I think that shadow was my mother? I think that it was a memory locked deep within some part of me.

“Catra,” Adora pulled back, staring up at her partner’s startled expression. “If Adam is my brother then what if the rest of my birth family is still alive? What if they’ve been looking for me all these years? He said I got pulled through. What if they never meant to give me up?”

Catra pushed a stray hair behind Adora’s ear, her expression soft and melancholy. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she said.

Adora knew that she meant it in the kindest way possible. In the most  _ empathetic _ way Catra could know. Not long after the defeat of Horde Prime, many of the former Horde members started to work towards reconnecting with their lives, their families. Most of them had been orphans, but not all of them had been that way. Lonnie had a mother, apparently, who she’d been taken from forcefully. Kyle’s parents had died fighting in the Rebellion.

Catra had found her family, but it had not been a good discovery. Her parents were dead, but more than that, they had apparently sold Catra into the Horde in exchange for safety and to profess their loyalty. Her parents died years later, of old age with little regrets. 

Hordak was actually the one to tell them that. He had been pulling up as many records as he could to reunite people, to make up for all he had done. He still had a lot to do to fix anything, but was trying very, very hard alongside Entrapta (and sometimes, Horvath, or as he was still affectionately called Wrong Hordak).

Adora nodded, pressing her forehead to Catra’s. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m just- I’m overwhelmed. I didn’t exactly come here with the intention of finding my family. I wanted to  _ connect  _ to something, you know? Thinking you’re the last one of your kind in the whole universe is…”

“Lonely?” Catra offered when Adora drifted off.

Adora nodded, closing her eyes. “Lonely,” she sighed. “It’s silly, but I feel like I could have a billion friends across the universe and still feel isolated. Everytime I read something in First Ones or I find a new piece of First Ones tech on another planet, it makes me feel so alone. I can do my best to teach others, but I don’t even really know that much about them.”

Catra didn’t respond and for a few moments, the two of them just sat there in the ship’s corridor. Eventually, Catra pulled back though and Adora looked at her. “What do you want to do, Adora?” she asked. 

Because that’s what she always asked. Not “what should we do?” or “what do you need to do?”. Always “want”. Adora had a choice. Now more than ever, she had a choice. The peace of the universe didn’t hang in the balance of her choices. They could drop Adam off where they kidnapped him and they could shoot off into the stars towards Popus. They could dive further into this. Adora could decide to leave forever or decide to stay forever.

She knew that no matter what, Catra would be there beside her. She pulled her partner into a quick, chaste kiss. “I think I want to ask Adam some more questions.”

“Then we’re going to do that,” Catra responded, bumping her nose playfully against Adora’s. Adora giggled. “You good to go back now?”

Adora took a steadying breath. She nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, hope you enjoyed that chapter! I might eventually write a one-shot about Catra finding out about her family as well. Not sure yet.
> 
> If you have an idea for a post-canon one-shot, send it over to me @felilla on Tumblr. I'll see if I can come up with something for ya.


	3. three

When they reentered the cockpit, they both pulled to a very sudden stop. Adam was currently munching happily on some of their food, untied and staring around at the ship with wide eyes. Adora whipped her head around to look over at Bow and Glimmer. Bow shrugged while Glimmer grinned gleefully. 

“He reminds me so much of you, Adora!” she exclaimed with a small laugh. “Remember when we took you hostage?”

“He promised not to run,” Bow explained. “And then we asked if he was hungry and well-”

“See, friends in less than thirty minutes,” Catra said, her head leaned against Adora’s shoulder. “I swear, you guys must have some weird friendship powers or something.”

“Well, they worked on you,” Glimmer responded.

Catra just stuck her tongue out.

As if just realizing they were there, Adam turned, a piece of cake halfway to his mouth. He grinned when he met Adora’s eyes. “Aviva.”

Adora stepped a bit closer to Catra, who gave her a reassuring squeeze. She cleared her throat. “My name’s Adora,” she said, rubbing at her arm. All these years later, she’d still been unable to break the habit.

Adam held up his hand, his smile falling just a bit. “Right. I suppose they gave you a new name. Well, I’m Adam,” he looked at the others, gesturing and oh boy, if that wasn’t a sign he was royalty, Adora didn’t know what was. Catra bristled next to her.

“I’m Glimmer!” Glimmer raced forward, Bow not even a second behind her. “I’m a princess on my planet. Well, technically a Queen, but not right now?”

Adam glanced at Bow. “Are you a Prince?”

Adora snickered when both of her friends flushed at the question. Back home, people had taken to calling him Prince Bow teasingly. Catra poked him in the shoulder with a chuckle when he didn’t respond.

“I’m Catra,” she said. “Adora’s partner.”

Adam blinked, then grinned. He grabbed Catra’s hand before she could respond. “It’s great to meet you, Catra,” he said, apparently oblivious to Catra’s bristling. He turned to Bow. “And Prince-”

Bow squeaked and shook his head. “No, no. I’m just Bow.”

“Tech master Bow,” Glimmer said with an adoring smile that he returned just as fondly.

“So you made the holograms?” Adam asked, finally shoving his cake into his mouth.

Adora’s friends glanced over at her. She shrugged. “He thought She-Ra was a hologram,” she said in Etherian, left untranslated due to her lack of a translator.

She figured it was probably best that Adam didn’t know about magic. Or about their plan to restore it to the rest of the universe. He might’ve been her long-lost brother, but she still didn’t trust him with magic. She wasn’t sure if she trusted any Eterians with it.

Not after all the misuse they’d given it.

Glimmer leaned in close, whispering, “He thought the truth spell was some kind of medicine and the teleportation was also weird tech so kinda makes sense.”

Adam’s gaze darted between them. “What was that about She-Ra?”

Catra snickered, biting down on her lip when Adora shot her a look. Glimmer and Bow seemed to get the hint because they just chuckled. “Shera means ‘pancake’ in our language!” Glimmer exclaimed with a too wide grin. “Not to be confused with  _ She-Ra _ which is definitely, without a doubt, not what Adora said.”

“What’s a… Pan-cake? Are they like  _ this  _ cake?” he brandished a piece of chocolate cake before shoving it into his mouth.

“You don’t know what a  _ pancake _ is?” Glimmer said before she latched onto Bow’s arm. “We’ll go make some. You must be starving after all that fighting. We’ll go get it. Right now. Bye.”

They both darted out of the room, whispering under their breaths as they took off their translators. Adam was watching Adora with mild suspicion and she laughed way too loudly. 

“Do I have to do everything by myself?” Catra grumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes. She stepped up next to Adora, winding an arm around her waist. “Maybe over pancakes, we can talk a little bit about Eternia. And your people. Namely how they avoided a mass genocide while staying on the same planet.”

“Oh well,” Adam shifted, wringing his hands together. “We’re not really supposed to  _ talk _ about that.”

“Please,” Adora took a step forward and settled a hand on his shoulder. “I just want to know the truth. About where I came from.”

She saw Adam swallowed before he squared his shoulders. When he looked up, the look in his eye had changed. Adora wondered if she looked like that when she grew more serious. The moment broke when Adam reached out and shoved another piece of cake into his mouth. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll tell you the truth of our people.”

They settled on the ground, food still within Adam’s grabbing range. As Adora reached forward to snatch a piece of fruit, Melog draped itself over Catra’s lap. Adam inhaled deeply, his eyes sliding closed.

“Our final battle with Horde Prime happened after the Great Weapon failed to activate,” Adam started.

Adora’s stomach twisted painfully. The Great Weapon. That was what the Eternians had called Etheria. It wasn’t a planet to them. It was just a weapon. Adam’s words only served to increase her resolve. She would never give magic to Eternia again.

“Most of our people died,” he continued. “Nearly all of our soldiers died.”

“Your He-Mans and She-Ras?” Adora confirmed. “That’s what you call your warriors, right?”

Adam nodded. “That’s what we call our most esteemed soldiers. The most powerful. The leaders. Back then, we had technology beyond comprehension. Technology that could almost be considered magic,” he shrugged. “Or so the stories say.”

We lost the war and we lost Eternia, but a small faction escaped. A faction including the royal family,” Adam looked right at Adora. “ _ Our _ family.”

Adora rubbed her hand over her wrist, choosing to stare at Catra’s hands as she ran them over Melog’s head. Catra shifted just a bit closer. Adam sighed. “We fled to another planet and for many, many years, we had no home. We were just nomads, avoiding Prime Horde’s clutches. Eventually, maybe a century or two later, someone decided that the safest place to go would be home. Because Prime would never expect us to return to our desolate, dead planet. And it couldn’t be worse than any other planet, right?

“Prime left our planet as soon as he thought all of us were dead. And we were right. He never thought to look for us on Eternia. But we couldn’t take the chance. We fled below ground, into tunnels that had ran through the planet long before Prime existed. Down there, we discovered water and soil. And there we stayed, only coming to the planet’s surface to scout and be sure that Prime was truly gone.”

“And you never left?” Catra asked. “Never made contact with any other planets?”

Adam shook his head. “By the time we returned to Eternia, our technology was ancient. Outdated and dangerous to fly in again. We took our ships apart to make solar panels. And we never touch the tech on the surface. It’s been here for a thousand years, rotting and corrupting. It could’ve been rigged to send a signal to Horde Prime or it could go berserk and think we’re the threat.

“Besides, there’s no reason to leave. We’re home. Even if home isn’t what it used to be.”

“I get that,” Adora replied. “I miss my home every day we’re gone.”

Adam peered at her. “But you’re home now.”

She shook her head, glancing over at Catra with a small smile. “No, this isn’t my home.”

When she looked back, Adam was staring at her with a strange look. She turned away, reaching for Catra’s hand in the space between them. Her partner gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

“You should come meet everyone,” Adam said. “And then I’m sure you’ll want to stay.”

Adora turned to him. “...Everyone?”

Adam grinned. “Yeah! You could meet our Uncle and my battle cat, Cringer, and-and Teela.”

Uncle? Adora felt a chill go down her spine, her grip on Catra’s hand tightening. Uncle. And a cat. And a Teela.

“Adam,” Adora said, her voice just barely above a whisper. “Can I also meet our parents?”

Adam’s face fell like a landslide. His hands trembled in his lap before he looked away. He clenched his hands into tight fists. “Adora,” he said, his voice holding the same softness as when he’d revealed Adora’s identity. “Our parents died a long time ago. Um, eleven years..? I think… They were crushed during an earthquake. It’s… Pretty- pretty common here.”

“Oh.”

Adora’s chest tightened. She couldn’t understand the grief that flooded over her. It wasn’t as if she remembered them. It wasn’t as if she’d  _ known _ them. They were as much a stranger to her as every other Eternian in the universe. But her mind wandered back to the sweet song in her head. To the shadow hovering over her. She thought, if she tried hard enough, she might be able picture their faces.

Did she  _ want  _ to picture their faces? In less than two hours, she’d been given a family. And then had that family ripped away again.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay,” Adam replied in a tone that suggested it certainly wasn’t okay.

“Were they-” Adora paused, not quite sure what she was going to ask. Adam looked at her and she bit down on her lip. “Were they good people? Good rulers? Good parents?”

Adam’s smile was wide but sad in a way that only came with grief. Nostalgic, but lonely. “Yes,” he said. “They were wonderful.”

Why did that make it feel so much worse? Why did her heart feel the way Adam’s smile looked? 

She thought of Shadow Weaver, the woman that raised her. So many uncomfortable feelings still came with thinking of her. Mixed, twisted feelings. She was like a mother to Adora, but Adora had always known that she wasn’t. That she didn’t even act the way a mother should. 

She thought of Angella. Possibly the closest thing she’d had to an actual mother. Even if Angella had mistrusted her at first, she’d come to care for Adora. Adora had come to find comfort in the woman. A woman that sacrificed herself for the good of Etheria, for her people. A woman that Entrapta and Hordak were working diligently to bring home. A woman she couldn’t wait to see again.

She thought of the nameless, faceless shadow that was her true mother. The woman that had given birth to her. The woman that apparently sang her lullabies and raised Adam. The woman that had been queen of an underground civilization.

She thought of Micah and Bow’s dads, like fathers to her. And of the father she knew nothing about.

Catra’s hand pressed into her back, bringing her to the present again. Adora blinked, wiping at the tear forming in the corner of her eye. She turned to Adam to say something, anything when the door slid open.

“Sheras!” Glimmer declared with a nervous laugh. “Pancakes!”

She and Bow stomped over to them, carrying two trays stacked high with pancakes. 

Bow smiled at Adam. “You’re gonna love them. They’re not as sweet as bake, but they’re like sweet, fluffy bread,” 

They both paused when they noticed the change in atmosphere. The two of them shared a glance and Catra chuckled. “Come on, you dorks,” she said, jumping her feet to take Glimmer’s tray. “Let’s eat!”

She set the tray down. Adora laughed when Catra’s tail flicked her nose and like that, the tense, hollow air dissipated. They all settled in a circle, Glimmer and Bow showing Adam how to properly cut and eat the pancakes. 

“You just put a little bit of syrup,” Bow said.

“No,” Glimmer sighed. “You  _ smother _ them in syrup. We’ve been over this, Bow, honey.”

“We’ve been over why you get a sugar rush after eating pancakes, yes,”

Glimmer scoffed. “I do- I do  _ not _ ,” her head swivelled around to look at Adora and Catra. “Do I get a sugar rush after I eat pancakes.”

“Uh…” Adora paused with a pancake halfway to her mouth, dripping in syrup.

“Yeah, you do, Sparkles,” Catra responded before she lurched forward and stole the bite off of Adora’s fork.

“I do not!”

“Catra!” Adora snapped. “Get your own pancakes.”

Catra grinned smugly at Adora in a way that always made Adora want to kiss her senseless. “Why would I need to when I have yours?”

“Uh, guys.”

They all looked over to find Adam staring into space, fork halfway into his mouth. Adora started to reach forward, worried he somehow hurt himself. Slowly, a wide smile began to spread across his face. His eyes widened, taking on a sparkle to rival Glimmer’s. He drew the fork out of his mouth. 

“This. Is.  _ Amazing _ !” he yelled, shattering the silence. “Oh my stars. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on  _ pancakes _ my whole life. This is… Wow, these are just- Wow. You have to show me how to make these. I have to make some for Teela. And for Uncle. Although, would Uncle like these?”

He drifted off when he noticed all of them staring at him. A small flush crept across his cheeks. “Oh, um, sorry.”

Glimmer, Bow, and Catra turned away from him to look at Adora and then back at Adam. “Yup,” they all declared together. “ _ Definitely _ related.”

They all laughed and Adora and Adam shared small, tentative smiles. Eventually, the pancakes were gone and their chatter died down. Adora learned a lot about Adam in that short time. 

She learned that he was the youngest He-Man in hundreds of years. That he liked to sing. That sugar cane was apparently not a resource on Eternia. That his battle cat was more or less a large green striped cat that could turn into a  _ larger _ green striped cat (talking about him made Adora’s heart ache for Swift Wind, still back on Etheria; she needed to talk to him sometime soon).

She also learned about Teela, the head of the Captain’s Guard, who Adam not so subtly had a crush on.

And most importantly, she learned about her and Adam’s uncle: Keldor. Apparently, he took the throne after the death of Adam’s parents. He was a good uncle, like a father to Adam, and he cared about Adam’s safety.

By all means, Adam sung his praises. But something about the way he spoke about Keldor struck a cord of uncomfortable familiarity in Adora.

“He doesn’t think I’m ready to be king,” Adam said, licking the last drops of syrup off of his hands. “Even though I was supposed to take it when I turned eighteen.”

Adora shook off the discomfort, turning to another question in her head. “How…  _ Old  _ are we?”

Adam seemed confused by the question at first but then he let out a short huff of a laugh. “I suppose you wouldn’t know,” he said. “We’re twenty. Just turned twenty, actually. A moon cycle ago.”

Catra sprawled out across Adora’s lap with a sound between a groan and a whine. “Ugh, that means you’re  _ older  _ than me.”

Adora giggled, squishing her partner’s cheeks. Catra tried to whip away from her grip, but Adora held tight. “And all this time, we thought  _ you _ were the older one.”

“You’re only older by like a month,” Catra grumbled. “And besides, I’m the mature one.”

“Oh is that so?” Adora raised an eyebrow. “Look, a mouse!”

Catra jumped up, her tail spazzing. She looked around with alert eyes as she shouted, “ _ Where _ ?”

Everyone burst out laughing as Catra turned a glare to Adora. “Adora…”

“What?” Adora asked innocently.

Catra shoved at Adora and the two went sprawling.

“Uh, are they okay?” Adam asked.

“Yup,” Glimmer said.

“They do this all the time,” Bow added. “So, Adam, you ready to go home now?”

Adora froze, immediately finding herself pinned underneath Catra. Catra’s victory grin dipped before she moved off of Adora. She offered her a hand and the two of them walked back over to the circle.

Adam stared down at the empty trays of food. He exhaled heavily before looking up at Adora. “Are you really not going to stay?” he asked.

Adora felt everyone’s eyes on her. She rubbed her arm. “Adam, this isn’t my home. Being Princess of Eternia isn’t my life. I have a life. I have a home.”

“And you have a brother,” Adam said as he shoved off the ground. “An Uncle. A family. Does that mean nothing?”

Adora looked at her friends and reached for Catra’s hand. They all gave her soft smiles back. “I already have a family too.”

“Please,” Adam stepped over their mess on the floor. He grabbed Adora’s hand with no hesitation at all. “Please just  _ meet _ them. Show everyone you’re alive and well. And tell them that the Horde is gone. That  _ you _ killed Prime. And then I’ll- I’ll let you go if that’s what you want. I promise.”

Adora wasn’t sure. She glanced over at Glimmer who shrugged. “We don’t really have a deadline,” she said. “We can stay if you want.”

After a long, long pause, Adora nodded. “Okay. Okay, I’ll meet everyone.”

Adam raced forward, embracing her before she had a second to react. Catra snickered beside her and when he pulled back, Adora lightly punched her partner in the arm. “Thank you,” Adam said. “I’m so happy you’re here. Now… How do we land this thing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter was a little short. It felt like the most natural place to leave off and the last two chapters are really long so hopefully that makes up for it. Anyways...
> 
> "tell me you're real and tell me you're here", my first fic in this series is officially my most popular fanfic. Like what? Almost 1000 kudos in four days. I'm so happy!
> 
> I'm currently also working a glimbow post-canon one-shot and a little kinda marriage one for Catradora so keep your eyes out.
> 
> If you have an idea for a post-canon one-shot, send it over to me @felilla on Tumblr. I'll see if I can come up with something for ya.


End file.
